Anyone try the ViewSonic VA1912wb yet?

[Zap]

The ViewSonic VA1912wb is a 19" widescreen. Costco in Schaumburg, Il had it for $299, sitting next to the $379 Sceptre and looking almost as big. I'm thinking this may be a nice widescreen alternative to the 20" units for near $100 less.

16.1" horizontal x 10.0" vertical; 19.0" diagonal
1440x900
500:1 contrast
8ms response time
16:10 aspect ratio
VGA & DVI

One thing that all these other monitors (ViewSonic, Sceptre) are missing that may or may not be of much use, but is interesting to have are composite and s-video inputs. My Wife's Dell 20" 2005FPW has those extra inputs, plus some nice adjustments though at the expense of a VESA mount that nobody uses (except I have a handle bolted on my CTX for LAN party travel ).

 

[nombrecinq]

My brother just bought this monitor, he seems to like it.

 

[josh609]

Originally posted by: Zap
The ViewSonic VA1912wb is a 19" widescreen. Costco in Schaumburg, Il had it for $299, sitting next to the $379 Sceptre and looking almost as big. I'm thinking this may be a nice widescreen alternative to the 20" units for near $100 less.

16.1" horizontal x 10.0" vertical; 19.0" diagonal
1440x900
500:1 contrast
8ms response time
16:10 aspect ratio
VGA & DVI

One thing that all these other monitors (ViewSonic, Sceptre) are missing that may or may not be of much use, but is interesting to have are composite and s-video inputs. My Wife's Dell 20" 2005FPW has those extra inputs, plus some nice adjustments though at the expense of a VESA mount that nobody uses (except I have a handle bolted on my CTX for LAN party travel ).

I have that monitor, It's awesome! The colors are great, and the monitor is very bright. No noticable ghosting whatsoever. I highly recomend. Here are some pictures of my setup:

http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/josh_1413/P1010073.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/josh_1413/P1010072.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/josh_1413/PB260068.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/josh_1413/JoshsSetup2.jpg
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d110/josh_1413/JoshsSetup1.jpg

 

[Keeir]

Originally posted by: Zap
The ViewSonic VA1912wb is a 19" widescreen. Costco in Schaumburg, Il had it for $299, sitting next to the $379 Sceptre and looking almost as big. I'm thinking this may be a nice widescreen alternative to the 20" units for near $100 less.

16.1" horizontal x 10.0" vertical; 19.0" diagonal
1440x900
500:1 contrast
8ms response time
16:10 aspect ratio
VGA & DVI

One thing that all these other monitors (ViewSonic, Sceptre) are missing that may or may not be of much use, but is interesting to have are composite and s-video inputs. My Wife's Dell 20" 2005FPW has those extra inputs, plus some nice adjustments though at the expense of a VESA mount that nobody uses (except I have a handle bolted on my CTX for LAN party travel ).

It all depends what you are using it for...

Compared to the Dell 2005

Dell has more pixels- Good for productivity type work
Dell has bigger Viewing Angles- Good for watching movies in groups etc
Dell has better stand
Dell has better inputs
Dell has 8-bit color- better for professional work
Dell has alot of "nifty" features such as Pip, Pbp (picture by picture), 1:1 scaling and etc (the Viewsonic may have those, but I can't verify that)

Viewsonic has slightly better response time
Viewsonic has price advantage


Clearly the plus and minus depends on how you plan to use your monitor.

Edit:
IE
Viewsonic is good for someone looking to pick up a 1- person gaming monitor on the cheap.

Dell is better for multi-use or multi-person use

 

[josh609]

Originally posted by: Keeir

Originally posted by: Zap
The ViewSonic VA1912wb is a 19" widescreen. Costco in Schaumburg, Il had it for $299, sitting next to the $379 Sceptre and looking almost as big. I'm thinking this may be a nice widescreen alternative to the 20" units for near $100 less.

16.1" horizontal x 10.0" vertical; 19.0" diagonal
1440x900
500:1 contrast
8ms response time
16:10 aspect ratio
VGA & DVI

One thing that all these other monitors (ViewSonic, Sceptre) are missing that may or may not be of much use, but is interesting to have are composite and s-video inputs. My Wife's Dell 20" 2005FPW has those extra inputs, plus some nice adjustments though at the expense of a VESA mount that nobody uses (except I have a handle bolted on my CTX for LAN party travel ).

It all depends what you are using it for...

Compared to the Dell 2005

Dell has more pixels- Good for productivity type work
Dell has bigger Viewing Angles- Good for watching movies in groups etc
Dell has better stand
Dell has better inputs
Dell has 8-bit color- better for professional work
Dell has alot of "nifty" features such as Pip, Pbp (picture by picture), 1:1 scaling and etc (the Viewsonic may have those, but I can't verify that)

Viewsonic has slightly better response time
Viewsonic has price advantage


Clearly the plus and minus depends on how you plan to use your monitor.

Edit:
IE
Viewsonic is good for someone looking to pick up a 1- person gaming monitor on the cheap.

Dell is better for multi-use or multi-person use

What? The Viewsonic is good for gaming with great response time, but then not good for movies or any other desktop productivity work? Dell has better stands? How can stands be better, can one feel more plasticky? Better inputs? Dells DVI and VGA are better than viewsonics? 8bit color is better so you can see ghosting and motion blurr in your games and movies even though you can't tell the difference between 8bit and 6bit? 1440x900 is not good productivity work? I must not be very productive having all these widows open.

Viewsonics are great, he has 1 or 2 good points, but most of it don't matter if you just plan on gaming, watching movies, or general office stuff. If that's all your going to do, get the Viewsonic.

 

[wpeng]

I don't know why you're so rabidly defending the Viewsonic. I'll clarify for Keeir.

The stand is better in the Dell 2005fpw: height adjustment, swivel, tilt, rotate. I've never seen the Viewsonic, but I'm thinking it only has tilt.

Better for movies: better viewing angle for your buddies to see the movie.

You can't tell the difference between 8-bit and 6-bit? You can clearly tell, especially in photo work. Banding also occurs only with 6-bit colors.

As for ghosting, LCDs will always have ghosting, so it is a personal preference as to whether or not you can tell the difference between 12 ms and 8 ms. Additionally, the Dell uses an S-IPS panel, which has a more uniform response time curve than Viewsonics TN panel. TN panel response times: highs are extremely high, lows are extremely low.

Better inputs: Dell has 4 USB ports. None for Viewsonic, I'm guessing. I didn't mention Dell's s-video because apparently it sucks.

Better for productivity: well, I guess it can't be that much better, but 1" is better still.

By the way, I hate Dell, so I would go for the Viewsonic anyway.

 

[josh609]

Originally posted by: wpeng
I don't know why you're so rabidly defending the Viewsonic. I'll clarify for Keeir.

The stand is better in the Dell 2005fpw: height adjustment, swivel, tilt, rotate. I've never seen the Viewsonic, but I'm thinking it only has tilt.

Better for movies: better viewing angle for your buddies to see the movie.

You can't tell the difference between 8-bit and 6-bit? You can clearly tell, especially in photo work. Banding also occurs only with 6-bit colors.

As for ghosting, LCDs will always have ghosting, so it is a personal preference as to whether or not you can tell the difference between 12 ms and 8 ms. Additionally, the Dell uses an S-IPS panel, which has a more uniform response time curve than Viewsonics TN panel. TN panel response times: highs are extremely high, lows are extremely low.

Better inputs: Dell has 4 USB ports. None for Viewsonic, I'm guessing. I didn't mention Dell's s-video because apparently it sucks.

Better for productivity: well, I guess it can't be that much better, but 1" is better still.

By the way, I hate Dell, so I would go for the Viewsonic anyway.

Thank you for tightening up his loose ends. I have yet noticed any color banding with this Viewsonic LCD as of yet. Maybe if i knew exactly what color banding is, i would be able to give you a more accurate account. Everything looks wonderful, esspecially my games. One thing i would like to add, i don't know if i could justify $100-200+ for the dell when to me this monitor has everything i would want in an LCD. Just my $0.02. Again, thanks wpeng for your input.

 

[Keeir]

Color Banding happens when you have a full screen image of a very subtle color gradient

a "classic" example would be an x-ray image or the XP welcome screen

6-bit panels will produce more signficant color bands (or areas with sharp changes in color) compared to 8-bit

6 bit<8 bit<10 bit/CRT as far as color banding

6-bit color annoys me. Not because I feel that 16.2<<16.7. That 16.2 uses extensive dithering. This means that colors are formed by compining near by pixels in blending fashion.... it just won't produce the most accurate colors (although they could be very pleasing).

As to stands, I don't personally care about look/feel. I can about usability. The dell stand gives you the following, Hieght Adjustment, Swivel, Pivot. Furthermore, I know the Dell stand provides a very stable base but is also easily adjustable. Most tilt only stands (Especially on a lower priced monitor) tend to be inferior in workability.

The dell S-video and Composite Inputs may suck, but if your TV fries itself or falls over, at least you can play/use the 2005 for a few days till you can get a new TV...

The USB hub is also a nice feature, as most people I know actually purchase a USB hub (alot of older computers only had 2 ports)

8ms is not "great response time". 8ms is acceptable response time for the price. Its a 8ms TN panel which means average response will be in the 20-25ms range. This is certainly good as panels marked 25ms are actually in the 30-40 range. However, Overdriven panels are reaching average response times of sub-20 ms without compromising on color depth.


The Viewsonic is not a -bad- monitor. But you do give up some significant factors that -might- be important for people. Just making sure the OP know that the difference is not just "s-video connector" but a host of small differences that could make a big difference

 

[josh609]

Originally posted by: Keeir
Color Banding happens when you have a full screen image of a very subtle color gradient

a "classic" example would be an x-ray image or the XP welcome screen

6-bit panels will produce more signficant color bands (or areas with sharp changes in color) compared to 8-bit

6 bit<8 bit<10 bit/CRT as far as color banding

6-bit color annoys me. Not because I feel that 16.2<<16.7. That 16.2 uses extensive dithering. This means that colors are formed by compining near by pixels in blending fashion.... it just won't produce the most accurate colors (although they could be very pleasing).

As to stands, I don't personally care about look/feel. I can about usability. The dell stand gives you the following, Hieght Adjustment, Swivel, Pivot. Furthermore, I know the Dell stand provides a very stable base but is also easily adjustable. Most tilt only stands (Especially on a lower priced monitor) tend to be inferior in workability.

The dell S-video and Composite Inputs may suck, but if your TV fries itself or falls over, at least you can play/use the 2005 for a few days till you can get a new TV...

The USB hub is also a nice feature, as most people I know actually purchase a USB hub (alot of older computers only had 2 ports)

8ms is not "great response time". 8ms is acceptable response time for the price. Its a 8ms TN panel which means average response will be in the 20-25ms range. This is certainly good as panels marked 25ms are actually in the 30-40 range. However, Overdriven panels are reaching average response times of sub-20 ms without compromising on color depth.


The Viewsonic is not a -bad- monitor. But you do give up some significant factors that -might- be important for people. Just making sure the OP know that the difference is not just "s-video connector" but a host of small differences that could make a big difference

As far as color banding goes. You are correct, i do see a ever so slight band in colors. I never noticed it until you pointed it out to me. That will be somthing I will be looking into the next time i look into getting a new monitor. This is what i'm looking forward too with my next monitor purchase.........
http://www.behardware.com/articles/593-...-encounters-of-the-third-kind-sed.html

Thanks for your insight!

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Keeir
6-bit color annoys me. Not because I feel that 16.2<<16.7. That 16.2 uses extensive dithering. This means that colors are formed by compining near by pixels in blending fashion.... it just won't produce the most accurate colors (although they could be very pleasing).

Actually most LCDs do frame rate control as far as I know. That will flicker the pixel at the speed of light between the different colors. That's what I read from some Eizo PDF anyway. So it's hard to say if you could tell the difference, but most people seem to prefer 8-bit. It may not be because of just the fact it's 8-bit though, it may be because 8-bit panels are S-PVA and S-IPS and 6-bits are TNs. There may be other differences.

 

[Nextman916]

josh i saw your pics over at hardforum a while ago and my first reaction was how much better it looked than the newegg pics. The bezel is alot thiner than i thought, even with the speakers at the bottom, it sure gave me a quick thought of maybe returning my 940b for it but Im extremely happy with it right now.

 

[Monnone]

Hey everyone! This is my first post here! I've been checking out anandtech for a long time but never registered as a member. I have a quick question about this Viewsonic monitor. I bought it last week and feel like I'm having a wierd issue. I'm not sure if the monitor is defective or if it's how the monitor is supposed to be.

here is the issue: with the monitor ON and the background set to pure black...there is a wierd lighter blackband that goes from one side of the monitor to the other. It almost looks like there is a peice of saranwrap on the screen in parts...especially around the edges. That is the best way I can describe it.

It's like certian areas of the screen NEVER get "blacker" than most of the screen. Wathcing videos or playing games I can see it. it's really annoying. Don't get me wrong, when there is full blown color it's very very nice, IMO. It's nice and bright...especially for the price.

Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? Is it just me? how can I describe it better?

Any help wouldbe greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Brian

 

[Keeir]

Originally posted by: Monnone
Hey everyone! This is my first post here! I've been checking out anandtech for a long time but never registered as a member. I have a quick question about this Viewsonic monitor. I bought it last week and feel like I'm having a wierd issue. I'm not sure if the monitor is defective or if it's how the monitor is supposed to be.

here is the issue: with the monitor ON and the background set to pure black...there is a wierd lighter blackband that goes from one side of the monitor to the other. It almost looks like there is a peice of saranwrap on the screen in parts...especially around the edges. That is the best way I can describe it.

It's like certian areas of the screen NEVER get "blacker" than most of the screen. Wathcing videos or playing games I can see it. it's really annoying. Don't get me wrong, when there is full blown color it's very very nice, IMO. It's nice and bright...especially for the price.

Does anyone have any idea what I'm talking about? Is it just me? how can I describe it better?

Any help wouldbe greatly appreciated!

Thanks!
Brian

It sounds like you have a particularly bad case of Backlight bleeding. This just means certain areas of the screen do not completely block out the backlight of the monitor. (Backlight is on full whenever the monitor is on)
This varies from monitor to monitor although a few monitors (usually popular ones) get a pegged as particularly ..

So the monitor is -slightly- defective



Xtknight- Just saw that comment
Yeah, frame rate control isn't much better in my opinion. I am a bit spoiled since I primarly use calibrated (with actual calibrater) 8-bit panels at both work and home, but I can't stand to watch movies or play games on 6-bit panels. Office/Productive work is alright. Potentially a good 6-bit panel could satisfy me, but I would still perfer knowing I am getting the most/most accurate colors possible (at a reasonable price) for a LCD.

 

[Monnone]

Originally posted by: Keeir
It sounds like you have a particularly bad case of Backlight bleeding. This just means certain areas of the screen do not completely block out the backlight of the monitor. (Backlight is on full whenever the monitor is on)
This varies from monitor to monitor although a few monitors (usually popular ones) get a pegged as particularly ..

So the monitor is -slightly- defective

Ahh, I see. makes sense. So do you think I should exchange it...at the least?

Brian

 

[Keeir]

Welll, you could end up with a worse screen

A 300 dollar widescreen monitor probably doesn't have the greatest in terms of QA (and thus the lower price) so there is a very real danger that you might get a worse screen.

I would check for dead pixels (Display White, Green, Blue, Red, Black, etc pure backgrounds)

If you have a dead pixel or two, I would exhange it

if it (backlight blleding) still bothers you 15 minutes into a video or game, I would also exchange it

Most people aren't bothered by the slight backlight bleeding that occurs on ALL Lcd Monitors. THere is a very good chance on an exchange you will get a monitor that doesn't bother you are much

 

[Monnone]

Hmm, ok, thanks for the advice. "Backlight Bleed", I now know the term. A buddy of mine has the Dell you guys are talking about...I didn't see any bleed. Makes me seriously want to reconsider take the VS back and getting hte Dell. The thing is though, I do like to game too...and the Dell seems like it will ghost a little more than than the VS.

Thoughts?

 

[Keeir]

Your right

The Dell will ghost slightly more than the Viewsonic

Also, the Dell 2005 is a unit that supposedly has ALOT of backlight bleed cases

The main issue is that the Dell is significantly more expensive and will require more graphics card power to run...but in return you do get a fairly high quality monitor with alot of good options

 

[xtknight]

Originally posted by: Keeir
Xtknight- Just saw that comment
Yeah, frame rate control isn't much better in my opinion. I am a bit spoiled since I primarly use calibrated (with actual calibrater) 8-bit panels at both work and home, but I can't stand to watch movies or play games on 6-bit panels. Office/Productive work is alright. Potentially a good 6-bit panel could satisfy me, but I would still perfer knowing I am getting the most/most accurate colors possible (at a reasonable price) for a LCD.

That's really interesting...I was under the impression the difference was hardly noticeable. Maybe it'll be night and day once I get my Samsung 770P (S-PVA) vs my current 710T (TN).

 

[Keeir]

Originally posted by: xtknight

Originally posted by: Keeir
Xtknight- Just saw that comment
Yeah, frame rate control isn't much better in my opinion. I am a bit spoiled since I primarly use calibrated (with actual calibrater) 8-bit panels at both work and home, but I can't stand to watch movies or play games on 6-bit panels. Office/Productive work is alright. Potentially a good 6-bit panel could satisfy me, but I would still perfer knowing I am getting the most/most accurate colors possible (at a reasonable price) for a LCD.

That's really interesting...I was under the impression the difference was hardly noticeable. Maybe it'll be night and day once I get my Samsung 770P (S-PVA) vs my current 710T (TN).

I image it is hardly noticable

But certainly going from calibrated 8-bit use 6-12 hours a day to uncalibrated 6-bit is almost a pathelogical situation.

I do notice the difference, and I usually can't correct it in 5 minutes or so...(maybe if I calibrated and played with the monitor...)

 

[Monnone]

Originally posted by: Keeir
Your right

The Dell will ghost slightly more than the Viewsonic

Also, the Dell 2005 is a unit that supposedly has ALOT of backlight bleed cases

The main issue is that the Dell is significantly more expensive and will require more graphics card power to run...but in return you do get a fairly high quality monitor with alot of good options

Interesting. Thanks for the info. I have a 6800 GT, GFX is not an issue. I'll just exchange my monitor and hope that the new one doesn't have these issues. Thanks!

 

[Monnone]

Ok, quick update for anybody looking for information about this monitor, the ViewSonic VA1912wb. I had those backlight bleeding issues described above. I returned the monitor last night for another one and it is perfect. No backlight issues what so ever. Very nice! I guess the monitor I had really was defective. This new one is perfectly free from that now.

As far as the monitor goes...(and for the price of it) the colors are fantastic! It's very bright. So much so I had to actually turn the brightness down...was TOO bright and contrasty...good sign. The blacks are somewhat of an issue though. If you want a monitor with really black blacks you may want to look into the new technology monitors. Although this one is really nice, bright and clean, the blacks are a tad washed out. For graphic design work it's great though. But things like watching movies or playing games the blacks never really look truely black.

Games play pretty dang good too. I know the advertised refresh rate is 8MS but we all know it fluctuates. The games are quite smooth as far as a an LCD monitor is concerned. There is a little "blurring" when moving fast (like in a first person shooter game) but NO ghosting, per se.

Another really happy ViewSonic customer.

Thanks!
Brian

 

[Rivergater]

i echo brian's experience with his replacement.
mine was fine from the beginning. need to turn brightness and contrast down. colors are brilliant.

build quality is not as nice as the wide dells but screen is much better and that matters most to me.

i have no regrets. think this is the best in the price range +100.

 

[kmmatney]

I just recieved this monitor yesterday, and I'm still evaluating it. Widescreen movies look awesome, and the colors are very good. As other people have said, the blacks do look a little washed out. I have some slight backlight bleeding near the bottom of the screen, but it does not seem to effect anything yet. I have a few other issues I'm going to post in another thread.

 

[Monnone]

Well, if you notice a significant amount of bleed I'd take it back for sure...I'm glad I did.

 

[kmmatney]

I have some backlight bleeing on the bottom of the screen. It partly has to do with the angle I'm looking at the bottom of the screen. If I raise the monitor up by a few inches the effect is much reduced. My BenQ 19" LCD did not have this.

The biggest problem I have is with scaling. The NVidia display option "Fixed Aspect Ratio Scaling" is not working correctly. Most of the bames I'm playing can use widescreen, but the one's that don't are being stretched across the whole screen, against my will.